Editor's Note

The Charge

Every sin leaves a mark.

Opening Statement

I pity the folks who have to market Cronenberg films. He hadn't really been a
box-office draw since The Fly in the '80s,
so when A History of Violence
did very well, it must have come as a bit of a shock since the film makes no
concessions to the multiplex audience. Coming off of that accidental hit,
Cronenberg gave us Eastern Promises, a film, which while every bit as
good as A History of Violence, did not fire up the box office as much.
Part of the reason for that is that Eastern Promises is a difficult film
to market. It's a Cronenberg film, but it's not enough like his most immediate
success to get people into the theaters because of that. It's also a gangster
film, but it's not like The
Godfather, Goodfellas, or even
The Departed. In fact,
the focus on the Russian mob in London might turn off some who like their
gangsters in America. In addition, the cast is uniformly excellent, but none of
them have the kind of marquee value that's going to get throngs of people in on
opening night. For all these reasons, people can be forgiven for giving this
film a pass in the theaters, but now that it's out on HD DVD it's time to give
Eastern Promises a shot.

Facts of the Case

A mother in dire straits dies while giving birth in a London hospital,
leaving behind a daughter and a diary in Russian as her only legacy. The
midwife, Anna (Naomi Watts, King
Kong), who delivers the baby attempts to decipher the diary with the help of
her Russian uncle. It leads her to a local restaurant, and into the lives of the
Russian mob, including "driver" Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen, A History of Violence). As Anna
digs deeper into the mother's past, she uncovers power struggles, human
trafficking, and information that could upset the balance of the underworld.

The Evidence

Cronenberg has spent his career, at least since Videodrome, interrogating the
difference between perception and reality and how that difference can affect the
lives of his characters. The opening salvo in this assault on our senses was an
over the top sci-fi masterpiece: Videodrome featured a vaginal orifice in
a man's stomach, a bone/flesh gun, and bizarre rants about "the new
flesh." He continued mining this theme through films as diverse as Dead Ringers, M. Butterfly, and eXistenZ without really gaining much
mainstream attention. What attention he did gain was for the extreme elements of
his work, gore in The Fly and sex in Crash. However, all that changed with A History of Violence. Here was a
film divorced from more bizarre concerns like drugs (Naked Lunch), car-sex (Crash), or
mental illness (Spider), and it included name
actors who didn't appear to be slumming for street-cred. Instead we got the
story of an (apparently) average guy who has a secret, and the film was a
meditation on the difference between our perception of others and the reality
behind them.

Eastern Promises continues in that vein. Instead of gynecologists,
diplomats, or the mentally ill, an average Londoner is thrust into a movie world
of gangsters and deadly secrets. This is a fairly common cinematic trope: the
fish out of water in the underworld. However, Cronenberg isn't interested in
remaking Goodfellas. His interest
seems to lie in the actions that occur between criminal exploits. Because
Cronenberg doesn't give us many details about the operations of the Russian mob,
it feels more authentic and unembellished. Yes, other films present us with
historically accurate gangsters (The Departed comes to mind),
but those films often show so much of the inner workings of the organization
that we become involved in the underworld and root for its denizens. For
instance, the exchange of dollars for guidance chips in The Departed is a
bravura piece of cinema, but it involves us so much that we don't tend to
question the motivations of either side. Eastern Promises doesn't involve
us in the pulse-quickening exploits of Nikolai and his cohorts, which gives use
the distance to question the gangsters and their motivations.

Die-hard fans of gangster cinema might be disappointed by Eastern
Promises for that very reason. In fact, the film is a kind of anti-gangster
movie. Although it deals with members of the underworld, there is none of the
usual attention to the fetishistic details of criminal conduct, there is no
narration, as in Goodfellas, that will lead us through this London
sub-culture. Instead, Eastern Promises supplies us with human drama,
showing that gangsters are people first and criminals second. However, that's
not to say there isn't some underworld-style violence. The scene in the
bathhouse is justifiably talked about as one of the most beautiful pieces of
violence in mainstream cinema. But moments like that one stand out all the
sharper because they are surrounded by scenes of subtle gangster-ism rather than
a continual parade of illegal activity.

With the bathhouse scene in mind, I would be remiss if I failed to mention
the superb performances by everyone in front of the camera. Mortensen's Nikolai
is one of the most genuinely lifelike characters I've seen on a screen. Part of
the success rests with the fact that the Russian aspects of his character are
note-perfect, from his tattoos to his accent and walk. But beyond the surface
details of his performance, he consistently projects a history for his
character; he always acts as if he has a past, and even if we are not privy to
it, the effects of that past are always lurking. Naomi Watts is excellent in the
usually thankless role of audience surrogate. She nimbly performs innocence in
the face of the Russian underworld without ever seeming stupid or overly naive.
The criminally underrated Vincent Cassel turns in another manic performance. His
combination of arrogance, privilege, and insecurity is fascinating to watch.
When I spoke of subtlety and the interrogation of gangsters earlier, the
character I had most in mind was Armin Mueller-Stahl's Semyon. He starts out
very genial, but his ruthless streak is eventually revealed. However, unlike
other movie gangsters, he is perfectly capable of appearing un-intimidating. His
scene with Naomi Watts in the hospital is chilling not because he threatens the
baby, but precisely because he doesn't.

On the technical front, this HD DVD fares well. The widescreen picture is
free of blemish, as befits a new release, while being high in detail. However, I
was so engrossed in the story and Cronenberg's visuals that it took me a half
the film to realize the level of visual detail. Cronenberg's typically cool
colors and style are rendered well, especially the dark streets of London. The
audio is likewise of high quality, rendering dialogue and music effectively. The
DVD side of this combo disc also looks and sounds excellent, but can't hold a
candle to the HD presentation.

As for the extras, I'll put it simply: Cronenberg deserves better. Of course
the film didn't light up the box office, but less than 20 minutes of EPK-style
documentaries does not make an effective movie presentation. Sadly, that's what
we get. "Secrets and Stores" is about 10 minutes of talking-head
promotional material, while "Marked for Life" continues in the same
vein for six minutes but focuses on the tattoos in the film. Web-enabled content
on the HD DVD includes the option to download two more pieces, one which focuses
on the bathhouse scene for a few minutes, and another which gives a minute to
Naomi Watts so she can talk about riding a motorcycle for the first time. The
latter short is especially insulting considering that Cronenberg is a rabid fan
of motorcycles and probably could say much about the particular bike featured in
the film. Cronenberg has twice shown that his films are worthy of two-disc
Criterion editions, so the perfunctory nature of the extras included, and
especially the lack of commentary, are nigh unpardonable. The included features
are instead a tease, as both Cronenberg and Mortensen seem especially perceptive
about the film and their roles in its creation. I sincerely hope that this film
either gets the two-disc treatment in the near future (after it wins a few
awards, perhaps), or that Universal steps up to improve the quality of the
material available for download.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

I've spent much of this review putting Eastern Promises in the context
of Cronenberg's films, as well as recent gangster film, but it's also easy to
forget all that and just enjoy the plot as we watch the fate of the baby and her
protector(s). Cronenberg may be making many subtle and complex points, but he's
also crafted a well-paced film filled with suspense.

Closing Statement

There's been talk of someone producing a sequel and prequel to The Departed to show
backstory and what might have happened to some of the characters after the
events of the film. Although I wouldn't mind watching those films if they ever
get produced, I feel like I already know everything I need to know about those
characters. In contrast, Eastern Promises almost begs for a
prequel/sequel combo, if only to answer the basic questions of how Nikolai
became a driver and how far his rise will go. Thankfully it is unlikely that
these films will get made, because while Eastern Promises leaves many
questions unanswered, it makes us stop and appreciate that they can be
asked.

The Verdict

Cronenberg and his actors are acquitted for creating a fascinating glimpse
into London's underworld. Universal is held without bail until it gives the film
the treatment it deserves on disc.